A Hero's Journey
by Banishedshadow24
Summary: The boy ran. He ran and ran until his legs gave out underneath him and he tumbled onto the hard ground below. All he could do was stare at the dark canopy of leaves above him. Looming shadows ran across walls, tangled vines crawled up broken stone structures, and Link layed on the ground, panting. There was no escape from this torturous hell.


**OMFG I'M STILL ALIVE? Yeah ok, heres another short story. It's not really set in any specific timeline but SS characters/their descendants are included. Link is on his way to get the master sword and WARNINGS OF BLOOD/GORE LATER ON. mkay well enjoy**

The boy ran. He ran and ran until his legs gave out underneath him and he tumbled onto the hard ground below. All he could do was stare at the dark canopy of leaves above him. Looming shadows ran across walls, tangled vines crawled up broken stone structures, and Link layed on the ground, panting. There was no escape from this torturous hell. Every turn he made, every path he ran down, it all seemed to connect back to where he once started. His long ears picked up tiny voices, almost chanting, as he raced through the woods, and yet the hero never could seem to find who, or what, was making it. His body was broken and all around him, blades of half dead grass poked up from the ground. Link let his head roll to the side and a loose tear dripped down the side of his dirty cheek. He had to continue though. With a groan the boy forced himself into a sitting position before heaving his body completely back up and limping towards one of the many passageways of the forest. His nervous blue eyes darted around as he heard a crunching sound behind him. Sandy hair was plastered to his face with sweat and his torso was bleeding out, but the man still turned around with quick reflexes, drawing a silver sword. He was getting tired of this place.

"Show yourself!" Link shakily cried, voice croaking from dehydration. The flask by his side had been empty for a while now. Another twig snapped and he spun around on his feet. There was no one there. He flinched as an owl up in the branches hooted and his chest rose and fell as he inhaled through his nose. Voices came from his right and Link once again spun around, only to be greeted with the tall trunk of a looming tree. Its gnarled roots wove in and out of the hard packed dirt and it seemed to reach higher than any of the others. He placed a hand on the wood, finally breaking down. He lost it. The boy sobbed, with no one to hear him as he slid down the tree, clutching his dirty locks and pulling hard enough to rip hair out. There was no escape, he was stuck in this neverending maze that only drove him mad. For Hylia's sake, he was supposed to be the hero! Instead he had managed to be defeated by what? Some trees and a harmless maze. He had been through so much more than that. The boy sniffed and finally fluttered his eyes shut, not at all realizing when he drifted off into a deep sleep. Maybe he needed some rest.

Water. Link felt himself gasping for air as his hands clawed towards the surface, seeing a pretty face staring down at him from above. A young woman, maybe in her early twenties, reached down and grabbed his arm with both hands, pulling him up to the surface. He coughed up more water and the girl pulled his head down on her lap. Link stared up into the pretty face and furrowed his eyebrows, she had an uncanny resemblance to the princess, although it definitely wasn't her. Her eyes were warm and blue, like a sunny day and her hair was golden, flowing down almost to her small waist. The small girl tilted her head and smiled down at the boy, tucking a strand of hair behind his pointed ear.

"Who- who are-" Link stuttered, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Shh, not yet. You need to rest." She ran a thumb across his face and Link once again spoke.

"Mom?" He asked with uncertainty. The girl giggled and sadly shook her head.

"No, Link, definitely not your mother."

Link sighed and decided to take a look at his surroundings, laying an arm across his chest. It seemed like he was in the same forest, yet in a calmer, brighter area. He was lying down next to a crystal clear pool of water. The girl spoke again.

"You might not understand, but when you wake up, I need you to find this place, okay?"

He shook his head.

"But, I can't. I've been wandering the forest for days and it's just an endless cycle and wherever I go I hear things that aren't really there and I end up in the same places of where I started and-"

She once again cut Link off and started to card her fingers through his hair, calming him down slightly.

"That's what it will do to you, Link. The forest is alive." She took her free arm and waved it out at all of the trees.

"You just have to know how to speak to it."

The boy laying in her lap looked utterly confused and she sighed before continuing.

"It will make you go mad, I'm surprised that you've even made it this far. Just, just think of me, and your friends, and all the good times you have had. Don't think about your failures. Now rest. When you wake up I'll be gone, but don't worry okay? I believe in you."

Link swallowed and grasped onto her hand.

"I won't ever see you again?"

"No, I'm sure we'll meet again. But I need you to close your eyes now, for me."

Link did as he was told and he felt her squeeze his hand a bit.

"What's your name? I want to remember it."

It was quiet for a while, the only sounds being a soft breeze through the trees. Link almost thought that the girl didn't hear him. He was slowly losing conscious but he swear he could hear her voice whispering back.

"You already know me."

Link woke up more refreshed than he'd ever felt in a while. His throat didn't feel dry and the various cuts and bruises on his body didn't hurt as much as usual. He groaned and rubbed his neck. Unfortunately he fell asleep in an uncomfortable position. With a small sigh he hoisted himself up and looked around. The forest was still dark, although it must have turned to day because slight slivers of light were shining down through the leaves. He thought about the girl and began to walk. Half an hour later he found himself in a small clearing surrounded by what looked like the ruins of a church. A tunnel was carved through one of the stone sides and he made his way through, ducking under cobwebs and stray branches. Another eerie voice echoed throughout the small passageway but he remembered what the girl had said. Think about her. So that's exactly what he did. He thought about how the sun reflected off her shiny blonde hair, how her hands felt weaving her fingers through his hair. The way her laugh sounded, bouncing off the trunks of trees and lighting up the atmosphere. Before he knew it the voices stopped, and the end of the tunnel became visible.

This was it, he knew it. With a newfound spring in his step Link jogged to towards the light. He shielded his eyes and waited for them to adjust before looking around the bright opening he found himself in. He walked forward a bit and widened his eyes at the sight he was seeing. Bright green boughs hung from tall trees and many different colored flowers bloomed wherever he stood. The forest was less compacted together, and had a safe feeling to it. Birds chirped and a small stream collected into a deep pool, the one in his dream. Link smiled. His smile only grew larger as he danced around and laughed. He laughed until his sides hurt and he had to sit down. He had finally made it. From the corner of his eye a figure swept passed. The laughter quieted down and he turned around frantically, trying to see what had just appeared.

"Hello?"

Link knew it was stupid in saying that, but what kind of monster would hang around in a place like this? He took that back. This was the exact place a monster would be hiding, waiting for an unexpecting traveller. Link immediately jumped up when he heard a deeper voice from behind him.

"Hey."

He spun around and swung his sword at the intruder, holding it firm against their throat. The person held up their hands in surrender, staring shocked at Link. The man swallowed and spoke first.

"Look, put the sword down, I'm not here to hurt you." He frantically waved down at his body to show he had no weapons on him.

"In fact, even if you did try to cut off my head it wouldn't work very well."

To prove his point the guy walked forward putting his head straight through the blade. It simply went through him like a ghost.

Link took a step back in disbelief.

"I presume you've met my wife? The one with the yellow hair?"

Link lowered his blade, this guy was the girl's husband, and began to talk, still eyeing him warily.

"Yeah, she came to me in a dream. Who are you people anyways? And why do you look like me?"

It was true, the older man did take on similar features to Link. His hair was a bit darker and his eyes were more of a sky blue than turquoise (which Link's were), but they had the same face shape and pointed ears.

"Just call me Sky for now."

Link looked at Sky and nodded.

"So where am I supposed to go now? I guess you're supposed to guide me."

Sky chuckled and lifted his eyebrows, nodding his head in the direction of a huge stone temple, windows smashed and half of it collapsed.

"You'll find what you're looking for in there." He said, taking a step forward. Link almost didn't notice when the guy took out a bright crimson feather. He tentatively reached out and took it from Sky's hand.

"What's this?" Link asked. He'd never seen anything like it, the feather was a beautiful blood red color with white and gold accentuating it.

Sky smiled and pointed towards the stone building.

"Show it to the woman inside, she'll know what to do."

Link nodded and began to walk, turning around when he forgot to say goodbye.

"Thank you Sky, this means a lot."

He chuckled and shooed him off.

"Go now, I wish you the best of luck Link." Sky said.

Link grinned back and before he knew it the man had disappeared. He looked towards the large doors of the temple. It was either now or never.

He pushed open the door and held his breathe. Small rocks fell from the ceiling and he shielded his head. Dust gathered on the floor and Link took a moment to take a look at his surroundings. It was smaller than he expected, it was only a rectangular room with another door to his right and a smaller open room to the left. A small set of stairs led up to a raised platform, where someone was sitting. Her long hair was braided back in an intricate bun, strands of silver hair falling in her red eyes. The woman's head lifted up.

Link slowly walked up the steps and pulled out the feather. She nodded in understanding and took it from his hand.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The mysterious girl's face looked at him curiously, almost seeming surprised that he could talk.

"The great granddaughter of the original guardian of this place." She then closed her eyes and mumbled unrecognizable words under her breath.

Link's eyes widened as a translucent blue staircase appeared, leading up to a doorway on one of the higher ledges of the temple.

"Go now. The temple has already been defeated by a past hero. Link, to prove yourself worthy as the hero in these times of darkness and claim the sword, you must defeat the enemy ahead."

Like he hadn't heard those words enough.

"Be careful, all is not what is expected."

He swallowed and nodded.

"Thank you."

He licked his dry lips and took hesitant steps up the stairs. This is it.

(Time skip to the boss room because i'm lazy soz)

He wandered in through the doors, covered in small cuts and bruises from monsters, but nothing too serious. Dark statues were raised from the ground, and the ceiling was so tall it was barely visible. Link stepped into the center of the room and flinched when he heard the door slam behind him.

Great, now there was no way out. He jumped again when a cold voice echoed around the room.

"You will never be the hero." The voice whispered. The circular room seemed to drop down in temperature.

"You couldn't even make it this far without others telling you how, you are worthless."

Links breath hitched in his throat. That wasn't true. He had been through so much on his own, and yet the quiet words seeped into his mind and he started to second guess himself. Was he the hero? Link swallowed and stepped forward.

"Come out here and face me. I want to show you how much of a real hero I am."

He stood his ground and waited for something, anything, to appear. Something chuckled behind him and he swung his sword around, only for it to be caught by a black, shadowy hand. Tendrils of dark smoke rose from the creature, and a pair of glowing eyes stared back from hollow sockets in its head. His sword hand began to freeze up and frost climbed both sides of the blade.

His hand was burning with frostbite now, and the only thing he could do was let go, the sword shattering under the cold. P

He looked up with worry at the creature in front of him, and gasped.

His hair was black, crazily sticking up in pieces around his head. He was unnaturally tall as well, with cold blue glowing eyes, beautiful, but deadly. Shadows danced around his thin frame, and Link was paralyzed.

The man stepped closer, Links wide eyes gazing at every move he made. The dark creature smiled and gently brought one of his hands to the young hero's face.

"But you can forget all of that. You're safe now, relax." His calming deep voice seeped into Link's mind.

He was going to be okay.

Link looked up, mesmerized by this man's beauty. No, he was not human. No human could ever come close to being as perfect as he was.

The man's fingers danced across Link's cheek, and he felt himself closing his eyes, his body flooded with a comfortable warmth.

"Sleep."

The hero obliged, letting his mind melt and feeling as if he was floating through water.

It was dark. Link sluggishly turned his head.

More dark.

He frowned and felt a slight stinging in his thigh but couldn't muster up the strength to move his head downwards. He squinted his eyes as a light came through, barely visible but definitely there. The glow only got brighter and he was able to make out a feminine figure, long blonde hair swaying. They were almost, shouting? He struggled to make out the words before his eyes widened. The dark creature! Link was now fully awake and he lifted his head to find in horror, the man bent over his leg.

Pain immediately spread throughout his entire leg and Link screamed. The monster's teeth had sunk deep into the his left thigh, and had then proceeded to tear apart at the flesh. He kicked his leg upward in reflex, regretting it when the man's mouth only tugged harder on his skin.

The man looked up with a crazed grin, his mouth stained red.

"Wow, you're stronger willed than I thought." His teeth chomped together, chewing a bit of skin in his mouth.

Link could barely watch the scene as he vomited to his side.

He tried to scoot backwards with his arms and good leg to get as far away from the creature as possible, only to end up with his back to the wall. The pain in his thigh was only a dull throbbing but he didn't dare look down to see the damage. The creature let out another laugh.

"Nowhere to go now, huh? No one to save the poor hero." The monster scoffed.

"You didn't even put up much of a fight, I thought that's what you were good at."

Link swallowed and took this time to look around his surroundings. He squinted his eyes a bit to see in the dark room and saw something almost glittering on the floor a few feet away. An arrow? Before he could think about why there was an arrow there the man had grabbed his face in his cold hand and snarled.

"You don't even have good manners. Look at me when I'm speaking!" He spat.

Link flinched and met his eyes with the ones looming above him. He let a grin cross his face when he saw the light behind him. Link only spoke two words.

"Watch out."

Before the dark creature could understand what was happening a golden light had pinned him to the floor, coming from the glowing figure of the girl.

"Go now Link!" She shouted.

Link understood and immediately tried standing up, groaning when he put weight on his hurt leg. There was no time to deal with the pain though, the girl looked like she was struggling to hold him down. With a deep breath Link hobbled as fast as he could over to the arrow on the floor, picking it up and walking over to the demon.

"I am the hero, and it is my duty to eliminate evil from this world!"

Link brought the arrow down into the demon's eye and he screamed before pulling it back out and stabbing him in the stomach. The man bled dark inky blood, it spilling out onto the floor and staining the ground.

Link stepped back as he watched the creature gurgle, its flawless features shriveling up until his whole body was barely recognizable. It exploded into a shimmery purple dust, settling on the floor. He suddenly registered the pain in his leg and sat down breathing heavily.

"Link."

He looked up at the figure above him and smiled, still trying to catch his breath.

"Thank you, without your help I probably would have still been stuck in that maze." He sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Now it was the girl's turn to smile.

"Don't worry, it is always alright to get a bit of help from someone else. And anyways, I think you've proven yourself worthy."

Link furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head.

"You mean for the sword? Anyways, where is it?"

The girl smiled and stepped forward. She slowly raised her arms and placed them on her chest, the spot starting to glow. Link watched in fascination as she pulled a beautiful sword out of her chest and handed it over to him carefully.

The hero stood and took the sword, feeling a rush of energy flow through him, the pain in his leg slowly diminishing. The light from the blade illuminated his face, and Link knew, in that moment, he was the true hero of Hyrule.

With a deep breath he raised the sword skyward above his head, it's energy sending seeming to radiate through the entire room.

"Take care of her, Link."

He swallowed and nodded, bringing the sword down and into the scabbard on his back.

It was definitely not the end for the Hero's journey, but she knew that Link would save the kingdom, it was what he was created for.

As Link smiled back at her, Zelda stood, watching her hero, knowing that the fate of the world was in good hands.

 **Lol IDK EITHER OK? I haven't updated in like 84 years i'm sorry really but it was 3am and i was feeling in a writy mood and so i wrote a 3.5k** **word oneshot. Ur weeelllccommee. And sorry the ending was crap like i said i was tired. You can interpret this thing however you want, write a full length story about it, i don't care. Live your dreams you know?**

 **K i'm out bai**

 **my eyes hurt**


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